


a thousand years

by thealexcohen



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Pendragon Returns (Merlin), Canon Compliant, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, Mutual Pining, Post-Episode: s05e13 The Diamond of the Day, Post-Season/Series 05, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 10:03:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29748852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealexcohen/pseuds/thealexcohen
Summary: Arthur returns and just can’t comprehend what made Merlin wait for him all this time. But he begins to understand through a night out and some singing.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	a thousand years

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one is a prologue of sorts.

It had been six months and fourteen days and Arthur still couldn’t seem to get his head to stop spinning. He woke everyday in this strange world, full of strange things he felt he’d never understand. Things had changed far more than he could wrap his head around, it all seemed like magic, but it wasn’t. It was just how the world was these days... faster, louder and much scarier than he would ever admit out loud.

And the worst part was he didn’t even know why he was back. 

The only thing that made any sense to him was him. 

Merlin.

He couldn’t understand how Merlin had done it. Or why. He spent centuries waiting for something he didn’t know when or how would happen. Or if it ever really would, for that matter. But he did wait, for fifteen hundred years, and Arthur just couldn’t comprehend the devotion Merlin had for him that made him do it. 

There had been moments back in Camelot that had confused Arthur. A look in Merlin’s eyes or something he said that made his heartbeat pick up. Merlin had always stood by his side, picked him up when he was down and, as he learned far to late, fought ferociously to protect him. And then there were his final moments. When Merlin all but told Arthur he loved him, and Arthur all but said it back. 

Yes, Merlin had always shown incredible devotion. But he still could not comprehend it being enough to wait millennia for him. 

It had been a hard six months, some days better than others. The crushing weight of loss and change and time passed sometimes made it so Arthur couldn’t even get out of bed. But Merlin had been there for him through it all, holding him on his worst days and laughing and smiling with him on his best. It had been a hard six months, but Arthur could feel it slowing start to get better with each passing day. 

More often he found he could just enjoy his time with Merlin. He didn’t have a kingdom to run, didn’t have to worry about constant threats on his life and, thanks to Merlin’s small fortune he amassed over his hundreds of years, didn’t have to worry about making a living in this strange new world. 

Some days they stayed in and Merlin told him stories of his magic and how he used it for him, saving his life more times than he could count. Some days they would wander through town, Merlin attempting to explain all the wondrous creations of the modern world. And some days they would watch movies or tv shows or documentaries on his television. Merlin tried to explain how the moving pictures worked, but Arthur didn’t understand and quite frankly didn’t care. It was a wonder that he didn’t question. 

All the time he and Merlin had fallen right back into their old ways. Playfully bantering back and forth, throwing insults that didn’t mean anything back and forth until they both broke down in laughter. He had forgotten what it was like with Merlin, how easy it was. There was no pretense, he didn’t have to be anything other than himself around him. Even back in Camelot, Merlin didn’t expect royalty from Arthur, hell he wouldn’t even accept it! It was what had drawn Arthur to him from the moment they met. 

Arthur could feel those feelings that had confused him rising to the surface again. And in this new world, one without anything standing in the way of those feelings anymore, he found himself thinking about their past and wondering about their future together. Maybe in another world they could have been something more to each other. Maybe in a world like the one Arthur found himself in now.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never written any fan fic before but I just had this idea in my head and had to get it out! 🤐 Please be kind, leave your thoughts and kudos.
> 
> Titles are from Christina Perri’s ‘1000 Years’.
> 
> And check me out on my socials (insta/tiktok/twitter/tumblr) @thealexcohen


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